Cold: A LightClan Challenge
by MoonbeamMidnight
Summary: A young kit gets lost in one of the harshest snow storms LionClan has ever seen. Will she get rescued or perish in the harsh cold?


**Challenge: Cold**

* * *

White... It's all white. It's all I can see. I can feel the snow up to my belly and the ice clinging to me like a second pelt. My paws are numb and I can't tell where I'm going.

StarClan, how did this happen to me? In one moment I was playing with my litter mate, both of us not having names yet, then the next I'm out here, lost. My litter mate thought it would be fun to climb a tree at the edge of the clearing. I went all the way to the top, wanting to see the whole clearing. It only took one strong breeze to push me off the branch and in to the snow. I realized I was outside the camp and thought I was walking back to where I fell. The storm has been raging on for a while now and I realized I was far from camp.

Why didn't I listen to my mother Barkfeather and stay close to the nursery? She must be terribly worried. What about my father, Pinefur? Do they realize I'm gone? Did my litter mate tell them?

* * *

**Pinefur's P.O.V.**

LionClan was in a panic. Barkfeather was hysterically wailing in the nursery. The medicine cat, Mistyleaf, was trying to feed her a herb for shock, but she wouldn't eat. My other kit, a white tabby she-kit with blue eyes, was being comforted in the elder's den by a ginger tom named Sunpelt. Our leader Silverstar was consulting with the others, trying to decide if the storm is safe enough to travel in. The apprentices were sitting outside their den, debating on what happened to my lost kit. I sat with the senior warriors, standing by and waiting for directions. An argument between the deptuty, Bluecloud, and several of the young warriors quickly started.

"It's been too long, Bluecloud!" Poppytail shouted over the commotion, her voice more worried than angry.

"She's right! She must have freezed to death by now!" Grassfang added with an annoyed hiss. The panic waked him up from a nap earlier.

Poppytail gave him a look of horror. "That's not what I'm saying at all! She must have wandered too far from the camp. Maybe another one of the clans found her."

"StarClan forbid PantherClan did!" Roseshine gasped. The she-cat was expecting kits, but insisted she keep up her warrior duties for as long as she could. She frequently stopped by the nursery to see mine and Barkfeather's kits though.

Silverstar bounded to the top of the Highslope and gave a yowl to silence the Clan. Voices immediately died out. "I have spoke with the elders," she began "we have decided that this storm is too dangerous to travel in. The fate of Barkfeather and Pinefur's lost kit is in the paws of StarClan." she solemnly finished. She quickly bounded off the Highslope and disappeared to her den beneath it.

Yowls of either approval or anger broke out. I could hear Barkfeather wails start up again. Sunpelt wrapped his tail around my other kit. I could see that she was trebling with fear for her kin. The poor kit was too young to think about wither her liter mate was dead or alive.

I heard a shuffle to my left and saw a black blur rush out of the raspberry branch tunnel exit. It took me a second to realize who it was: my apprentice. "Blackpaw! Come back!" I called, but whither or not he heard me, he was already out in to the storm.

* * *

I don't know how long it's been, but I don't think it will matter soon. I can barley move anymore. There's a voice whispering in my ear, or maybe it was just the wind. I was just about to collapse in the snow, giving up all hope of seeing my clan again, but then I saw it: The Great Willow. I heard hunting patrols saying they would go there. It's supposedly filled with holes at served as dens for all kinds of prey. I'm about the size of a squirrel, so maybe I can hide there!

A spark of hope lit up inside of me and I tottered my way to the trunk. There was a hole there, just big enough for me to squeeze in to. I checked for any signs of prey, but there didn't seemed to be. I quickly crawled in and curled up in to a tight ball.

Pricks of dread as sharp as thorns started stabbing me. I'm far from camp, no one will find me. This thought raced through my head.

I let out a shrill cry of fear.

* * *

**Blackpaw's P.O.V.**

I ignored my mentor's orders to come back. His kit was in danger and no one was doing anything! Wasn't that breaking the warrior code?!

I ran until I was close to the PantherClan boarder. I was about to call out the kit's name when I realized that she didn't have one. How am I supposed to call out to her?! Why did Barkfeather insist on waiting to name her kits? Why didn't Pinefur come with me? Why did-

"Mrow..."

My thoughts were interrupted at the sound of a meow. It's faint, but it's there! I followed the direction it came from until I came to a stop at the Great Willow.

"Mrow..."

There she was, curled up in a tight ball. The kit looked up at me, relief in her expression. She looks so much like her father with her brown tabby fur and green eyes. I gingerly picked her up by her scruff and followed my paw prints back to camp.

* * *

I'm home... Barkfeather starts licking the ice off my pelt and I can see my father congratulating Blackpaw. My littermate was bouncing around me in joy. Barkfeather leans in close and whispers in to my ear. "Treekit." she simpily says. She turns to my littermate. "Snowkit."

* * *

**1 moon later**

**Treekit's P.O.V.**

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I name you Blackfrost!" Silverstar's voice rang out.

"Blackfrost! Blackfrost! Blackfrost!" I chanted. His blue eyes met mine and it looked like they were shining.

* * *

**Treefall's P.O.V.**

Seasons have gone by so quickly. Mine and my sister Snowbreeze's apprenticeship followed about four moons after Blackfrost's warrior ceremony. We then became warriors to, with the irony of sitting our vigil in a light snow flurry. I now find myself here in the nursery with my single kit sleeping next to me. She has brown tabby fur, white paws, and blue eyes.

Blackfrost walked in and licked my forehead. "She's beautiful, so much like you." he purred.

My whiskers twitched at the complement. "She looks like you too. She has the same white paws and gorgeous blue eyes..."

"What's her name?" Blackfrost asked.

"Willowkit."


End file.
